Between the 22nd and the 28th, I saw 16 movies (Shana saw 17). We skipped one of the movies (The Sisters Brothers) for which we had bought tickets because it aired at midnight after we had already seen 14 movies including three that day. We just needed the sleep. Unlike last year, we did not have any star sightings on the street, but our viewing of First Man included an introduction by the film's stars: Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy both of whom were quite charming:
The best movie we saw was Spike Lee's latest, BlacKkKlansman, which was both entertaining and an impressive political statement. We saw several other "big" movies: Beautiful Boy with Steve Carell and Red Joan with Judi Dench, as well as plenty of smaller movies in both English and Spanish (with English subtitles - we are not ready for a whole movie in Spanish...yet).
In any event, as was true last year, the films we saw were hit and miss. Shana actually left five movies early including one where she had to walk right past the director and actors to leave - bold! Here is a list of all the movies we saw with a brief comment for each (* = Shana left early):
El Amor Menos Pensado: good, not great, movie about what happens when an empty nest couple decides to separate.
Yuli: film about a Cuban ballet dancer, which Shana saw alone. She liked it.
Mudar la Piel: documentary about the mediator between the Spanish government and the Basque separatist group ETA made by the subject's daughter. Had potential, but did not reach it.
Beautiful Boy: based on a pair of memoirs about a father and son dealing with the son's drug addiction. Again, good but not great.
*Leto/Summer: Another movie based on a memoir. This one about the rock-and-roll scene in St. Petersburg, Russia in the early 1980's. Worth seeing if you are looking for something different.
I Hate NY: documentary about transgender activists in NY.
First Man: only one comment: it is no Apollo 13.
*In Fabric: a stylized horror film that was apparently an homage to an Italian B-movie genre of the 1970's and 80's. We didn't get it.
Red Joan: based on a true story about a woman who provided British nuclear secrets to the USSR in the 1940's, but was not caught until she was in her 80's. Good, not great.
*Angelo: just don't bother.
Jaen, Extra & Virgin: a really interesting documentary about olive oil (yes, we are serious). Recommend it to all you foodies if it shows up on Netflix.
BlacKkKlansman: as noted above, our favorite.
Les Distancias: a film about some Spanish college friends who get together years later for a weekend in Berlin. Another film that had unrealized potential.
*High Life: sci-fi movie with Robert Pattinson. Interesting concept, but again the movie failed to live up to the idea.
Perfect Desconocidos: probably the second best movie we saw, but unfortunately it is in Spanish without subtitles (electronic subtitles in English were added for the film festival). The story of a dinner party where seven friends - three couples and a single - agree to publicly reveal the content of all communications (calls, emails and texts) that arrive on their phones during the meal. Of course, the participants have many secrets...
The Book Shop: a nice, British movie about a book shop. Nothing special, but enjoyable.
*Roma: Alfonso Cuaron's (Gravity, Y Tu Mama Tambien) latest. A really interesting look at the life of a native servant and the wealthy family she works for in Mexico City in the early 1970's.
All-in-all, we had a really good time, but I think next year we won't plan a trip immediately after the week of the festival. Seeing so many movies is fun, but also requires some recovery, which we did not have as we left on September 29th for Italy. More on that trip to come.
Hasta luego,
Jeff and Shana
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